UNRWA: 5,000 tons of solid waste collected in Gaza
45
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said in a press release yesterday that its teams are committed to continuing to provide essential services to communities throughout Gaza. It added that between January 16 and 31, its teams collected approximately 5,000 tons of solid waste from within and around the agency’s collective shelters.
Meanwhile, UNRWA is facing ongoing political pressure from Israel aimed at eliminating the agency. Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated in a press conference on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that “the agency is under immense pressure from Israel, which continues to violate international law. We witnessed the demolition of our headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem.”
Lazzarini emphasized that the situation in Gaza remains tragic, with the residents of the devastated territory struggling to survive as a result of the Israeli war of attrition, which has deprived them of almost everything. He noted that for the second consecutive year, children in Gaza are being denied access to school and education. Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network, explained that Palestinian NGOs are lobbying for the transfer of waste to its original landfill in the Juhr ad-Dik area, southeast of Gaza, which is under Israeli military control. This would require the Israeli army to withdraw from the area and allow the transfer of waste from within Gaza to this designated site.
In previous statements, medical organizations warned of the spread of epidemics, particularly cholera and polio, among displaced people, given the Israeli occupation authorities’ prevention of the entry of medicines and medical supplies into Gaza.
